Dark Ninja AUs
by Bornite
Summary: What if the Preeminent convinced Cole to betray his friends? What if Zane had joined the nindroids? What if Nya abandoned the ninja? What if the venom of the great devoured ran in Lloyd's blood, inherited from his father? What if Kai never joined the ninja? What if Jay carried a grudge too far? We all have a dark side, most just keep it buried deep down inside.
1. One of Thousands

After getting back to the Bounty from visiting Sensei Yang's temple, the others went straight to practicing airjitzu. Cole had asked to be alone, and thankfully the others respected that. He didn't want to talk. In fact, he didn't want to do anything except lay on his bed for the rest of forever.

Cole felt vulnerable and hollow, almost like he didn't exist anymore. He held a pale green, transparent hand in front of his face, wishing it to turn solid again. Instead he continued to feel the air pass through his body, like he didn't really exist.

"Most people have this reaction to turning into a ghost." The voice was a woman's, cold and emotionless.

Cole sat up and looked around, tense. "Who's there?"

"I'm not here, and I'm not a who, either. But you may call me The Preeminent." Once again, not an ounce of emotion was in her voice.

Cole stood up. "How are you speaking to me?"

The answer almost sounded rehearsed. "Since you are a ghost, you are mine, permanently connected to me."

"Ok then, go away." Cole said.

"I won't. You could become very useful."

Cole folded his arms. "Well then you're about to be disappointed, because I'm not going to help you."

"Have you ever heard of a good ghost?"

He thought about it. "No, I... I guess not."

"You are mine now. I can make you do whatever I need."

Cole remembered previous times he had been controlled, Skales looking into his eyes, The Overlord's dark matter descending upon him. He slid down to the floor and started shaking. "No, please no. Don't do this to me."

"I give all ghosts the option to do what I say of their own free will. The ones who do receive blessings and higher ranks in my armies."

"So I either do what you say, or you force me to do it? That's not fair!" Cole could already tell he wouldn't be able to fight her possession. She was too strong.

"Curses are never fair. Your first mission is to kill everyone else aboard this ship. Make your decision."

Cole squeezed his eyes shut. No matter what, he would have to fight his friends. It was just a matter of if he would keep existing while doing it, in a sense.

He thought the Preeminent had left to let him think, but then she started talking again. "The others are scared of you. You've always wanted to blend in, but now you're permanently separated. What will your father say? What look will people give you on the streets?"

Cole curled up and covered his ears. The preeminent was voicing what had already gone through his head a thousand times. He couldn't help but agree with her.

Despite plugging his ears, the Preeminent's voice seemed to get louder. "You used to be the strength everyone looked up to. Your power was your greatest pride. Where are you now? A single drop of water, and you're gone. Your friends will have to protect you. You've become a burden."

"Stop it! Go away!" Cole yelled.

"I'm working to bring about a world where you'll fit in. Everyone will be like you. Join me, and I'll make sure you're happy. All of your problems will cease to exist."

Cole tried to ignore her, but he was hooked on her words. Just the thought of his problems going away made him start to relax. No more problems...

The door to his room creaked open. Nya poked her head through, looking concerned. "Cole? Is something wrong?"

Cole gritted his teeth and stood. "Yes, something is very wrong."

He struggled to grab his scythe from beside his bed. His hand kept passing through it.

"Focus on keeping your hands tight," The Preeminent whispered. "Put some strength into it."

Cole looked down at his hands and took a deep breath. Focusing, he curled his fingers around the handle and lifted it, then swung it towards Nya in one fluid motion.

Nya gasped and ducked just in time. The scythe embedded itself in the door with a loud crack. Cole felt a surge of joy at his success in lifting the scythe. He struggled to pull it out while Nya slowly backed away. "Cole! What's going on?"

"Don't tell her the truth," The Preeminent said.

Cole hesitated, then hardened his gaze. "I hate you. I hate you all!" He gave another tug at the scythe and it tore from the wall.

Nya backed up the hallway, keeping her eyes on Cole's. "I'm sorry we weren't able to save you, but this won't help anything. You're probably sad and confused. Please, just calm down."

The concern and caring in Nya's eyes tore Cole apart. "Stop it. You're making this harder!"

Nya paused. "What do you-"

Cole screamed and charged towards her, swinging the scythe again.

Nya rolled to the side and pulled out an aeroblade. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Cole wished he could say the same thing. He swung again, but Nya dodged a third time. She threw the areoblade, and Cole slid to the side just in time. The blade bounced against the wall and clattered to the floor. Cole heard footsteps from behind and turned around.

Kai was running towards them. "I heard fighting. What's going on?"'

Nya put her hand out. "Kai, stay back! Something's gotten into Cole."

Kai froze and looked at Cole. Kai had been looking at Cole with fear ever since he turned into a ghost, but now the look was magnified.

"It's too crowded to fight down here. Get up onto the deck." The Preeminent said.

Cole knocked Kai to the side using his scythe and dashed down the hallway. Nya shouted something and chased after. Cole could hear Kai close behind her.

Cole ran up the stairs and onto the deck, the warm air of the sunny day doing nothing to heat the ghost.

Jay was leaning against the railing of the ship, reading a comic book. He looked up with his usual big smile. "Hey Cole! What's up?"

Cole swung his scythe towards Jay, who screamed and toppled over the railing, disappearing from sight.

Cole gasped, the force of what he had just done weighing on his chest. Nya and Kai ran up onto the deck.

"Where's Jay?" Kai asked. "Cole, what did you do?" The horror at Cole's actions in his voice was apparent.

Cole forced himself to say the truth. "I-I killed him."

Nya put two hands over her mouth. Kai pulled out his sword from his back sling. "Listen Cole, I don't know why you're doing this, but you've got a lot of nerve-"

There was a strong blast of wind, and Jay flew up onto the deck. "Haha! You can't get rid of me that easily. I've learned cyclondo."

Zane walked up to the group. "That was not an appropriate or safe time to pull a prank, Cole."

Cole gripped his scythe tighter. "It wasn't a prank. I have to kill you all."

Each of the other ninja pulled out an areoblade. Cole realized he was surrounded. He held his scythe in front of him and turned slowly, reading to block or dodge. They all stood there for a moment, ready for someone to make the first move.

Jay loosened his stance a bit. "Ok, will someone please explain what's going on?"

Cole took the opening and jabbed his scythe forward. Jay yelped and fell over backwards, a tear in his clothing but otherwise unharmed. Kai threw his aeroblade just as Cole ghosted into the floor. The weapon knocked Zane onto the ground instead.

Cole came up behind Kai and knocked his feet from underneath him, making Kai completely vulnerable. Zane and Jay were still standing up. Nya tried to pull Cole away, but her hand passed right through him. Cole brought his scythe down towards Kai's head as the red ninja screamed.

Then Cole froze, right at the last second. Kai was cross-eyed from staring at the weapon hanging right above his face. Cole's eyes slipped to the scar on Kai's cheek. The thought of adding another wound to his friend...

Cole grimaced and dropped his scythe beside him. "I can't do it."

"So you want me to take over?" The Preeminent asked.

Cole squeezed his eyes shut. "Please, anything but that. Anything."

Kai stood up and dusted himself off. "Um, who are you talking to?"

"Don't tell them," The Preeminent warned.

"It's the Preeminent!" Cole blurted. "She can communicate with ghosts. She wants me to kill you. If I don't, she'll take over my mind and do it herself."

Everyone looked at Cole with similar reactions of shock. Nya shook her head. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"She didn't want me to," Cole explained. His eyes shifted to the aeroblade in Zane's hand. "Zane, you know the logical solution to this. I'm too dangerous to the team now."

Zane looked down at the weapon. "No."

"What?" Cole gestured towards his scythe. "I'm going to kill all of you!"

Kai took a step closer. "Ninja never quit, right? We're not going to give up on you."

Cole took a deep breath. "I don't think you understand. This is an entire realm, inside my head, that wants you dead. I can feel her power. It's too much."

Nya reached out to put a hand on Cole's shoulder, but he took a step away. "No, don't touch me! I'm going to hurt you."

The Preeminent came again. "I'll give you one last chance. If you have trouble killing your friends directly, posses the ship and cause a crash that will kill them."

Cole looked up at the ninja. "I'm sorry guys, but I don't have much left anymore. I've got to protect myself."

He sank into the ship. Possessing it felt strange. He was becoming something that wasn't alive, and controlling it. He felt the thrusters, the sail, the gears, trying to get a feel for how to control it. Possessing something so large took a huge amount of strength.

The Destiny's Bounty was flying over a snow-covered mountain range. Cole dove towards them at top speed, then unpossessed it at the last second.

The boat drove into the mountain with a menacing crunch, wood splintering everywhere. It rolled down the steep side with tons of rock and snow, crashing through trees, then came to a rest at the foot of the mountain. Cole stood up as the dust settled. Nothing human could have possibly survived such a crash. He walked with heavy feet through the demolished Bounty, found his scythe and turned to leave.

"Pixal, could we get a damage assessment? I'm not sure if I'm able to walk."

Cole's heart sank. He wafted through the wreckage, searching for where Zane could be. He finally found him, squeezed between two planks in a position that would break a dozen bones. His right arm had been completely torn off. His whole left side was smashed, his left eye flickering wildly.

Zane gasped when he noticed Cole, and began pushing against the planks with his crumpled left hand, his joints making a horrible screeching noise. A spark popped off his shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure you're stuck," Cole said.

Zane stopped struggling and looked up at Cole. His left eye stopped flickering. "Why didn't you let us help you?"

Cole looked down at the ground. He had never heard so much pain in the nindroid's voice. "I-I just don't feel right. I'm different. I'm one of the bad guys now. Why would you ever want to help something like me?"

Zane tipped his head to one side. The action looked painful. "You don't think I've never felt the same? Cole, we're your friends. How could you forget that?"

Cole clenched his fists. He had made a horrible mistake. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The Preeminent entered his head again. "Kill him."

Cole looked up at Zane's broken body. He was sorry, truly. But living every day with Zane, being a witness of what he had done to their friends, was a horrible thought. Zane would never forgive him. It was hopeless.

"What's wrong?" Zane asked.

Looking at the barely functioning heap of metal was hard. He had done this. Now he had to do more. "She told me I have to kill you."

Zane's eyes went wide. "Listen, you don't have to-"

The scythe tore into his head with a loud metallic thud. Zane's eyes slowly went dim.

Cole sank to the ground as sobs wracked his soul. How he wished he could actually cry. He regretted everything. He had realized he would rather die than loose his friends, but it was too late. He was alone. He killed them all.

"Good job. Your next assignment is to go to the Wailing Alps, where Morro will meet you." The Preeminent almost sounded pleased, the first sign of emotion he had heard from her. It sickened him.

Cole clenched his fists. "I don't care."

"You want to lose your will?"

Cole drew a shaky breath. "I should have let you take control the first time. I don't have anything left, so take me if you want. I don't care anymore."

A chilling wind with the faintest hint of laughter passed through his mind. "It was all a bluff. I can't make you do anything. I know how to convince people, though. You're one of thousands to fall for that trick."

"No!" Cole put his head in his transparent hands, unable to block the sight of his dead friend and destroyed home. The destruction he had caused seemed to bend closer. He should have been stronger. But it was too late.


	2. Sleep in Peace

Jay threw open the door to the mobile home. The lights were on. If his parents were off on an errand or something, they would have turned it off. "Mom! Dad!" He yelled. Nothing.  
"Jay, over here!" Zane called. Him and the others were looking at a rusty old refrigerator.  
Jay ran over. Muffled noises were coming from behind the fridge door. He yanked it open.  
Everybody but Jay took a step back in shock. Two lime green serpentine tumbled out, wearing the tattered remains of Ed and Edna's clothes.  
Jay's heart leapt into his throat. "M-mom? Dad?"  
Their only reply was a lot of hissing as they struggled against the ropes holding them down. Jay felt tears form in his eyes. He reached out a hand to touch his father's shoulder.  
Jay felt a yank back from behind just as Ed snapped at his hand. Sensei Wu stepped in front of him and barred his way with his staff. "Jay, I'm sorry. Those aren't your parents any more."  
"No!" Jay fought against the bamboo staff, but Sensei Wu kept his ground. Jay sobbed. "Please. There has to be a way to turn them back!"  
Sensei Wu shook his head. "Once the transformation is complete, there's nothing we can do."  
Jay's legs felt weak. If he had come a little sooner, they could have done something. But now...  
The serpentine suddenly lurched towards the group, hissing and snarling. Kai pulled out his sword.  
"No! Please, don't hurt them!" Jay burst.  
Kai turned to look at him. "Then what are we supposed to do? Keep them as pets?"  
Ed kicked Kai in the chest, sending him flying backwards into a pile of junk. A small landslide burrows him momentarily.  
Cole ran back to help him up. "Yikes Jay, your parents are strong!"  
"The transformation has increased their strength," Sensei Wu said, pushing Jay back a few steps. "I'm sorry Jay, but if we don't do something they're going to hurt people."  
Before Jay could protest, the ground began to shake. He turned to see a large green and scaly bulldozer zooming their way.  
Everybody scattered. Sensei pulled Jay out of the way as the Bulldozer barreled past. Then, tons of serpentine started revealing themselves, climbing to the top of junk heaps and driving up in new vehicles.  
"It was a trap!" Sensei let go of Jay and pulled out his flute. "Avoid getting bitten at all costs!"  
The others charged into the fray, but Jay was frozen where he stood, watching what used to be his dear parents. "Please, I know you're still in there somewhere." Slowly, he walked towards them and undid the ropes.  
The two leapt up towards Jay instantly, snapping at his face with wild craze. Jay yelped and backed away, but the two were fast and kept coming. He pulled out his nun-chucks and held them tight against their necks, almost like Sensei had held Jay back with his staff. They pressed against it, straining Jay's arms. He could feel their hot breath on his face. With them so close, he could see every detail of the scales on their skin. And their eyes- even their eyes were different.  
Jay squeezed his eyes shut, then sent a pulse of electricity through the weapon. His heart skipped a beat as he heard their yelps of pain. The shock sent them reeling back.  
Then he could feel the ground begin to shake again. His eyes flew open. The two serpentine were on the ground, still dazed from the shock, right in the path of the huge bulldozer that was coming their way.  
Jay ran forward. "No, look out! Get-"  
He he closed his eyes at the last second as the monster barreled past, creating a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was no way they could have survived it.  
Jay wasn't sure how long he stayed frozen there, but he finally opened his eyes. He couldn't remember having so much anger burn through him. "Nobody hurts my parents and gets away with it!"  
Jay leapt towards the nearest serpentine and whacked it around the head with his nun-chucks, sending out enough energy to kill. A crane swung its wrecking ball toward him, but he fluidly transitioned into a slide underneath it. Then he slammed against the side of the machine, releasing another jolt that made the lights in the cockpit flicker before shutting down with a trail of smoke coming out of the engine.  
By now the serpentine had realized how much of a threat Jay had become. Some surrounded him, but he sent a wave of electricity outwards, hitting them all at once. More waves came. They fell by the dozens. Jay grinned at every charred scale.  
"Jay!" Nya yelped.  
Jay froze right before striking her. For a moment, he stood there in shock, weary and breathing hard. Then he collapsed into her arms and cried.  
Cole came over and, after a moment of hesitation, wrapped his arms around them. Then the others came and did the same. They stayed there, arms around each other, for a long time.

Jay rolled over to face the wall. He was tired, so tired he could barely stand up. But every time he closed his eyes he would sink into a nightmare.  
A knock came to his door. He considered how he was feeling, then sighed. "Go ahead." His voice had lost its previous bright and cheery pitch.  
He continued to stare at the wall, but he could tell from the footsteps it was Cole. He felt his friend sit down at the edge of his bed. "Hey Jay, how are you doing?"  
Jay let his bitterness pour out. "Well, let's see. My parents are dead, and it's all my fault. I'm being haunted by nightmares, and that's if I manage to fall asleep in the first place. So I guess in the end I'm not doing the best, to put it lightly."  
Cole was silent for a moment or two. "Well- please don't take this the wrong way, but..." Cole sighed. "You made me realize how much the people we love matter, even if we don't think we actually love them. I haven't seen my dad in a couple years. We haven't had the best relationship in the past. Anyways, I've decided I'm going to go visit him and I was wondering if you'd like to come along."  
Jay grunted. "No."  
"Ok, I can understand that." Cole was silent for a little longer. "Is there any way I can help you? Anything you want?"  
Jay sat up so fast, Cole fell off the bed. "I need revenge!" Jay clutched his forehead and started shaking. "These nightmares, they won't go away! I need to stop them. I need to kill all of those stupid cowardly snakes where they stand! I want to sleep in peace!"  
Cole got up and backed away, putting his hand on the door handle, but Jay barely noticed. "Jay, I- calm down buddy, ok?"  
Jay tore at his hair. "How can I calm down when my parents are dead? Tell me Cole, tell me how!" He screamed, then began sobbing.  
Cole left the room and shut the door behind him.

It took Jay a while to calm down. He went to the door and jiggled the knob to discover it had been locked. He didn't care.  
Jay went back to the bed and sat down. They wouldn't starve him to death. Someone would walk in with food eventually.  
He sat there for a long time, staring at the door without blinking. Finally, he heard footsteps coming nearer, then the sound of the latch being unlocked.  
Zane walked in and shut the door behind him, carrying a slice of fresh steaming apple pie. He hesitated before coming closer and placing the plate on Jay's lap. He then backed away.  
Jay considered the pie for a moment, picking up the fork and twirling it around so all the light flashed off it.  
"You do know what a fork is, I hope?" Zane asked.  
Jay scoffed. "Of course I do." He chucked it with all his might at the wall, and the prongs imbedded themselves in the wall with a high ringing sound. "It's a weapon." He then lifted the plate up to his face and tore at the pie ravenously.  
Zane lifted his eyebrows and watched in silence.  
Jay licked the remains off the plate, then wiped his lips with his sleeve. "So, you're concerned about my well-being too?"  
"Yes." Zane stood a little straighter.  
"And yet you keep me locked in here like a caged animal?"  
"We don't want you to hurt yourself," Zane said.  
Jay laughed. "Please, if I wanted to do that there's thousands of ways I could do it in this very room."  
Zane frowned. "Cole said you had changed, but this is extreme. Are you sure you're ok?"  
Jay waved off the question. "You're lucky you don't remember your past, I hope you know that. I'd kill to forget what has happened."  
Zane took a step back. "I- this conversation is making me uncomfortable. Good bye." He left and locked the door behind him.  
Jay shrugged and began to mess with the screws holding the bed together.

Kai came in next, a few days later. He cracked the door a bit, then threw it wide open. "Holy bologna, what are you doing?"  
Jay looked down at him from the top of his structure. "I'm not sure. The bed had gotten boring and I can't sleep anyways so I decided to build a... Thing. I bet it's a weapon."  
Kai continued to stare up at Jay with his mouth hanging open. Finally, he shook his head out of it. "Listen Jay, the others asked me to come talk to you about grief. I've struggled with it in the past too, and I'm sure you can get through this just like I did."  
Jay twisted another screw in, ignoring his raw and bleeding hands from doing it so much. "You completely fell apart when your parents died, right? Nya's hinted at it a couple times. She had to take care of you, even though you're the big brother. Pitiful."  
Kai's face darkened. "Well you're being pretty pitiful right now, too."  
Jay shrugged. "This is different. Your parents died far away from your reach. It's all my fault Ed and Edna died. I'm not even sure if this is grief."  
"It isn't your fault they died."  
"Oh really? They came here to visit, but I was embarrassed and sent them home early. If I hadn't, they wouldn't have ran into the snakes. Then they asked me to visit them at the junk yard some time soon. If I had come sooner, we could have turned them back to normal in time. Then I untied them when they were safer being tied up and out of the way. And then- and then- and then I shoved them into a bulldozer-" the beam of wood in Jay's arms cracked, making splinters peel across the edge and bristle up.  
"Jay..." Kai's voice was soft, softer than usual. "If you want to play the blame game, it doesn't fall on you. It was Lloyd who released the snakes in the first place, but-"  
Jay gasped and jumped down from the structure, splintered wood in hand. "You're right! If anyone should pay for their death, it's Lloyd! I'm going to kill that little brat, and then I'll finally be able to sleep!"  
Kai put out his hands. "No, wait-"  
Jay didn't take time to listen. He raced out the door and towards the deck, where, surprisingly, he found Lloyd reading a comic book. It was strange, but very convenient.  
When Lloyd noticed Jay coming towards him, he yelped and started to back away. Jay followed him, stalking his prey. Soon, Lloyd's shoulders bumped against a corner. After realizing he was trapped, he sank down to the floor and began to sob.  
Jay grinned and raised the splintered stick above his head.  
Somebody grabbed his waist from behind and tugged him back from his prize. Anger sprouted up in Jay's chest, and he spun around and whacked the figure about the head. Kai released his grip and collapsed to the ground, screaming and clutching his eye. Cole, Nya, and Zane raced into the room and stared in shock at the scene in front of them. Jay didn't care. He turned back around to deal Lloyd the final blow, then suddenly became incased in ice from the neck down.

Jay stayed trapped in the ice for a couple hours, growling and snapping with drool running down his chin. Zane and Cole comforted Lloyd, who was still shaking with fright, while Nya bandaged Kai's head.  
She sighed. "I'm sorry Kai, but I think the damage in your eye is permanent."  
Kai glanced at Jay with a glare filled with deep anger.  
Cole shook his head at Jay. "Lloyd is a good kid now, and he has apologized. What you did was uncalled for."  
"The death of Ed and Edna was uncalled for!" Jay hissed.  
Zane walked up closer to Jay. "I'm sorry, but we've made a decision that will be the best for all of us. We are removing you from the ninja team, and taking you to a good hospital in Ninjago City."  
Jay's heart dropped. "No!"  
Nya wiped at her eyes. "Jay, this is hard for all of us. We want you to be ok. That isn't something we can provide here."  
"No!" Jay gritted his teeth as he struggled against the ice. Then he felt a huge amount of energy building up inside him. The display screen across the room started beeping. It had detected a huge mass of serpentine in Ninjago City. Maybe all of the serpentine in the world gathered at one spot. A grin spread across Jay's face. "Don't worry Lloyd, I'll spare you for now. I want you to be the final victory, and that means there are others I have to take care of first!" Jay released all of the energy he had stored up at once, the ice shattered and sent shards flying everywhere. For a moment he staggered as stars danced in his eyes. Then he righted himself and took off towards the exit as the others recovered.

Jay raced into the underground serpentine lair without even taking a moment to see what they were doing. All of the snakes turned their heads to look at him. Every eyeball made him burn with rage.  
"Who is your leader?" Jay roared.  
The snakes were silent for a moment, then parted to reveal the biggest snake Jay had ever seen.  
"I'm Pythor, king of the Serpentine!" He announced, raising his staff above his head. The crowd of snakes cheered.  
Jay released another huge stream of energy, pointing it all at Pythor. It sent him flying though the air until he rolled across the ground, steaming and completely still.  
The crowd stopped cheering. There was complete silence as Jay collapsed to his knees, weak once again from expelling so much energy.  
As he tried to recover, Skales slithered to the front. "Well, don't just stand there, avenge the king!"  
"Avenge the king!" The snakes roared.  
The crowd became a stampede. Jay zapped fatal lightning at every moment he could, but there was just too many. They swarmed around him, biting at his flesh, squeezing around his limbs, scratching at his clothes. He screamed in agony and fought against it, but more kept coming.  
Nya, Cole, and Zane raced into the room. Nya put her hands over her mouth, while the other two just stood there, stunned. Jay screamed for help, even though he knew it was too late.  
Jay expelled one last wave of pure energy, killing all the snakes around him. As the light faded, he realized that the fight had stopped. He was laying on the cobble floor, surrounded by dead Serpentine. Not a live one remained. He had killed them all.  
Nya appeared over him, tears streaming down her face. "Jay, oh no. Please, stay with me!"  
Jay tried to breath, but every gasp burned. Any attempt at movement reignited the fresh wounds covering him from head to toe. "This- this did not go as planned."  
Nya shook her head slowly. "You thought you could take them on all by yourself?"  
Jay had never felt so worn out in his entire life. "I just wanted to avenge Ed and Edna."  
Nya took what was left of his hands in hers. "But if you hadn't, you would still be ok. We could be happy, but you let it take over.  
Tears formed in Jay's eyes as he realized what could have been. He regretted everything, but it was too late to change. "Please forgive me. And... And tell Lloyd I forgive him."  
Nya squeezed her eyes shut. "Yes, I forgive you."  
Jay sighed deeply and closed his eyes.  
He could finally sleep in peace.


	3. Nobody Dies

Nya was gone, and Kai was devastated.

Skeletons had suddenly invaded their home a few days back and taken her. He didn't understand why, but he wished they had taken him instead. Now all he cared about was getting her back. An old fool named Wu had offered to help, and Kai had accepted the combat training, but he was getting impatient. He needed to know his sister was safe, but Wu insisted that he and three other boys find magic golden weapons first.  
Every day they wasted on silly magic quests was a day Nya wasn't safe, and Kai couldn't stand it. So when they got to the first weapon, a scythe inside a cave filled with skeletons, Kai grabbed the weapon and got out as soon as possible. As he walked out of the cave, he could tell Wu wasn't happy.

"What do you think you're doing?" Wu barked.  
Kai rested the scythe of quakes on his shoulder. He was a little surprised at Wu's sudden anger. He was usually a pretty reserved guy. "We don't have time to fight skeletons. I sped things up."  
"I told you not to use the weapons!" Wu yelled.  
Kai walked up to Wu and put a hand on his chest. "Listen, the only reason I'm here is to save my sister. I don't care about any of your little ninja quests."  
"This is about more than your sister, Kai!" Sensei Wu snapped. "The weapons are unstable. The entire world is at stake, and you just risked all of it."  
"Well what if Nya is worth more than the world to me, huh? She's the only one I care about left. I'd be dead without her! After our parents died, she was the one who kept me going. I can't just stand around while she's down in that horrible underworld dying!"  
Silence followed until Cole broke it. "Sensei, he also kicked me in the face. I have a bloody nose."  
Sensei shook his head. "That's it. Kai, unfortunately you are a very vital part of this team. Otherwise, I would ban you right now. Instead, you're going to pull the cart all alone and be on minimal food rations for a week. Hopefully we can teach you some obedience."  
"I don't care!" Kai chucked the scythe of quakes onto the ground. The earth quaked violently as it clattered. "The only reason I followed you in the first place was to learn spinjitzu so I would be strong enough to save my sister. I'm leaving." He turned on his heels and walked away.  
"Come back here this instant!" Wu called.  
Kai completely ignored him.  
"Permission to tackle him, Sensei?" Cole asked.  
"Yes, he needs to come with us, even if it's by force."  
Kai was about to start running when the ground suddenly burst apart behind him. He whirled around to the stone dragon crawling up through the dirt. Jay screamed in pain as it jumped on top of him and bit into his arm.  
Kai stared in shock for a moment before he remembered he didn't care. He turned and ran as fast as he could.  
He didn't stop until the sounds of roaring and screaming was gone. He sat down under a tree, breathing heavily. As he sat, he realized he didn't even know where he was going. Where the heck was the underworld, anyways? He also realized that taking the scythe would have been a good idea.  
"Kai."  
Kai jumped to his feet and looked around. "Nya! Was that you?"  
He heard her voice again, and spotted her figure standing in the distance. "Follow me." She turned and disappeared.  
"Nya, wait up!" Kai ran after her, joy giving him new energy. Of course she was able to escape on her own. She was the most amazing sister ever!  
Kai kept losing track of her, then catching a tiny glimpse of an arm or a wisp of black hair so he could continue. He wondered why she was being so dodgy. Maybe she was still being followed by skeletons.  
Eventually they came to a tall volcano, with an intricate red temple built into the base. Kai ran under the arches leading up to it. Nya cracked the huge doors open slightly and slipped in.  
Kai threw the doors open, but Nya was nowhere to be seen. The room was covered in Lava, except for a stone path leading to a golden sword. Behind it was a large gaping mouth of a stone dragon. Lava flowed into its jaw and dropped into darkness. Kai couldn't stop staring at the glowing sword. He was in the temple of the sword of fire. Why had Nya brought him here?  
A dark presence filled the room, and a low laugh echoed from the ground. The doors slammed shut behind him.  
"What's going on?" Kai called. "Who's there?"  
The laughing stopped. "Friendly reminder that I have your sister captive and can do anything to her. I would comply if I were you."  
"You're Lord Garmadon, aren't you?"  
"Nice observation."  
Kai looked around the room frantically. "Where are you?"  
"Down the lava fall. Don't worry, you'll get to see me. Just bring the sword of fire with you."  
Kai pulled the sword from the ground and felt a wave of energy like when he held the scythe, except stronger. He went to the edge of the lava fall and stared down. He couldn't see any bottom. "What am I supposed to do, jump?"  
"That's one way to do it, yes."  
"And what if you're tricking me into falling to my death?"  
"Perhaps I am. If you'd rather not do it, I'm sure your sister would be fine with starving."  
Kai continued to stare into the depths. He would do anything for his sister. And if he died? He didn't care.  
He took a deep breath and dove into the dark. Hot air rushed past him, and then he passed out.

Kai woke up in a dark cell, on the softest bed he'd ever laid in. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, while the events of the day came back to him. He sat up and turned to inspect the room, then screamed and pressed himself against the wall.  
Across the room a black figure with glowing red eyes sat in a chair, staring at him. When Kai screamed, he frowned and looked down at his hands. Despite his inhuman appearance, a very human emotion of shame was showing on his face. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to look so frightening."  
Kai recognized his voice and stiffened. "You're Lord Garmadon! You kidnapped my sister!"  
"I had a good reason. Would you like to see her?"  
Kai raised his eyebrows. That wasn't the reply he had been expecting. "Uh... I guess?"  
Garmadon stood and opened the cell door. "Come with me, then."  
Kai followed him out of the cell and across a boardwalk. The underworld was a huge cavern with a high ceiling. Looking down, Kai couldn't see any bottom. The ground was chunks of rock floating in the air, with wooden bridges connecting each. Torches were the only light source.  
Garmadon led Kai to another cell and opened the door. Nya was inside, kneeling in front of her bed with a wrench. She quickly stuffed it under the mattress and turned around. When she realized who was at the door, she gasped and ran up to Kai, giving him a big hug. "Kai! What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here to save you," Kai said, tears filling his eyes. "I swear, if any of those skeletons so much as poked you, I'll-"  
"It's ok, Kai. They've just locked me in this cell." Nya looked up at him, cheeks stained from crying. "How did you get here?"  
"I brought him here," Garmadon said. "Unfortunately capturing you was the only way to do so."  
Kai looked at him and clenched his fists. "Why do you want me here, then?"  
"Because I see great potential within you. My brother has already filled the others with his lies, but you had the guts to defy him. Let me be your Sensei, and I'll teach you how to be stronger than all of the others combined! Both of you will be treated like royalty. You came down here to save your sister, and I'm offering to release her."  
Kai looked down at his little sister. She shook her head. "Don't listen to him, he's evil."  
"What exactly were Wu's lies?" Kai asked.  
Garmadon grinned and folded his arms behind his back. "I could list them off for days, but here's an appetizer. Your parents once fought alongside him. They could control the elements of fire and water without a weapon, and those powers have been passed down to you. He was there when they died."  
Kai gasped. "He never said any of that!"  
Garmadon looked at Nya. "I'd love to teach you how to control water, Nya. He would never take a girl as one of his ninja unless it was an emergency."  
Nya took a step back. "No! You want to take over all of Ninjago! You're the one who locked me down here in the first place! I'll never support a creepy old man like you!"  
Garmadon sighed. "Fine. What about you, Kai? Will you take me up on my offer?"  
Kai looked from Nya to Garmadon, then closed his eyes. "Deal."  
He heard Nya gasp. "Kai, don't do this!"  
Kai lowered his head and didn't reply. He was doing this for her.  
"Fine!" Nya snapped. "You aren't my brother anymore. I'm not going to be free unless someone does it right!"  
Kai heard the cell door slam shut.  
After a moment, Kai felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Garmadon giving him a gentle smile, with understanding and sadness behind it. His glowing red eyes somehow seemed soft and caring. "I know what it's like to have a sibling disown you. I'm sure she'll understand your choices someday."  
"Really?"  
"If everything goes to plan, all of Ninjago will understand." He clapped his hands twice, and a skeleton came up with a red cloth. Garmadon unwrapped it, revealing the sword of fire, then handed it to Kai.  
"Come, your training starts now."  
"Yes, Sensei."

After a few months in the underworld, Kai could barely remember the feeling of fresh air and grass under his feet. His eyes had adjusted to the dark caves.  
He made his way to the temple where Sensei Garmadon taught lessons and held meetings, angrily shoving skeletons out of the way.  
On his way he stopped by Nya's cell. He could hear her scraping away at the wall with her wrench, like she had been doing for a couple weeks. Nobody was going to stop her. She wasn't a prisoner. She could walk out the door whenever she wanted.  
Kai knocked on the door. "Good morning, Nya. Want to come out?" It had become a daily ritual for him to greet her.  
Nya, as always, completely ignored him.  
Kai sighed and continued on his way. When he got to the temple, he shoved the doors open with all his might and stomped in. "Sensei! I-"  
He realized that Sensei Garmadon was currently speaking to Samukai, who was kneeling in front of him and trembling. They both turned to look at him.  
Kai bowed. "Sorry, sensei. I should have knocked first."  
Garmadon waved Samukai away. "It's fine. We were just finishing."  
Samukai got up and walked through the doors. As he passed Kai, a low growl came from his throat. Kai glared at him threateningly, and the skeleton continued on his way.  
"Good morning, Kai," Sensei Garmadon said. "Were you going to say something?"  
"Yes, sensei, I'm tired of waiting. I could beat the ninja today! They aren't going to come down here on their own. I still don't understand why we aren't taking the fight to them."  
"Patience," Sensei Garmadon said. He pulled out a sword and walked towards Kai.  
Kai got his sword of fire ready and watched Garmadon's movements closely. "That's what Wu always said."  
"Sometimes Wu is right. We received word from the scouts last night. The ninja have finally gotten their hands on the nunchucks of lightning, the last golden weapon. Next the scouts will kidnap Wu and bring him down here, and then his little students will come down to rescue him. Think fast!"  
Sensei Garmadon swung his sword towards Kai, who smoothly blocked him and bent the sword out of his hands.  
"You know you don't have to warn me before you attack. And you were holding your sword loose on purpose."  
"Good observation," Sensei said. "Now, let's practice your fire."  
Kai held his sword in front of him and took a deep breath. Fire started to crawl up the blade.  
Sensei started pacing around him. "What are we fighting for?"  
"We are fighting for those who are misunderstood and labeled as dangerous."  
"Who is our biggest enemy?"  
"Wu Garmadon, and any who follow him."  
"And why is that?"  
Kai started to feel weak from holding the fire for so long."He knew it is the venom that causes you to do evil. He promised he would help you overcome it. Then, he turned his back on you and banished you to here. He tried to forcefully use me as a tool because of my powers."  
"What are we going to do?"  
"We are going to recreate the world in your image, so everyone can understand what you have to endure."  
Sensei stopped pacing and put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "What will happen to you when we have succeeded?"  
Kai was so surprised and confused his fire fizzled out. "I- I'm not sure, Sensei."  
"You're going to rule beside me as my right-hand man."  
Kai's eyes got wide. "I am honored you trust me that much."  
Sensei opened his mouth to speak, before Samukai came barging in. "What? Lord Garmadon, this is not the deal I agreed to! I'm second in command!"  
Sensei growled. "You fool, I knew you would betray me the second you get the chance! Your eavesdropping proves it."  
Samukai pulled out his four curved daggers and glared at Kai. "How about we fight for the position? The strongest deserves to lead."  
Kai looked at Sensei Garmadon, who gave a small nod. Kai lifted his sword and grinned. "I accept your challenge."  
Samukai launched forward with a yowl, swinging with all four blades at once. Kai took a step back, blocked two of the blades with his sword, and danced around the other two. Samukai looked surprised, but went for another similar attack. Kai spun around to the skeleton's back and kicked him onto the ground. Kai went to stab his sword into Samukai's rib cage. Samukai suddenly clawed at the ground and threw a handful of dirt behind him.  
Kai backed away, sputtering and blinking. He was blinded, and before he could recover, Samukai sliced him across his left eye.  
Kai screamed and staggered back into a wall, gripping his injury. He heard Samukai laugh in pleasure and dived to the side right as the daggers scratched the wall. He blinked the dust out of his right eye, but his left was dripping blood.  
Samukai whirled around to strike again and Kai leapt back to dodge it. Gritting his teeth, he spun around and watched a tornado of flame rise around him.  
Kai had practiced sword fighting a lot more than spinjitzu over the months, but it gave him a protective wall to make up for his new blind spot. Unfortunately he couldn't hold it for long, and when he stopped he would be exhausted.  
Samukai's skull suddenly appeared, extending past the fire, jaw opened wide. Kai screamed and jammed his sword into the jaw on the next spin around.  
It fit perfectly and held fast, bringing Kai's spinjitzu to a jarring stop. Samukai yowled in pain. Kai pulled at the sword, but he just yanked Samukai onto the floor.  
Both fighters froze as Sensei Garmadon started clapping. "Good job, Kai! I was worried for a moment, but you pulled through just like I thought you would."  
Samukai tried to say something through his damaged skull. Kai gave another tug at the sword and he fell silent.  
"Thank you, Sensei," Kai said. He inspected the sword and sighed. "Um... What now?"  
"Kill the traitor," Garmadon said, as if it were obvious.  
Samukai mumbled in protest, flailing his arms and legs. Kai looked down at him, horrified. "Are you sure? What about prisoners?"  
"Look at what he did to your face. He would have killed you without a second thought. War is a horrible thing. It's too risky to keep a traitor around."  
Kai looked down at Samukai, who had stopped struggling and was staring up at him with narrowed eyes, silent.  
Kai became very aware of the sting in his wounded eye, and he remembered the day Samukai had attacked his village, defeated him, destroyed his father's black shop, and kidnapped Nya. Because of Samukai, nothing was ever going to be the same.  
His blood felt like it was boiling with anger. He thought about everything horrible that had happened since that attack, everything he'd been penning up. He screamed and released the anger through the blade, flames licked around Samukai's bones. They began to pop, cracks stretched across their surface, and then the skeleton began to collapse. Samukai's glowing red eyes dimmed, leaving nothing but dark, empty sockets.  
Kai collapsed to his knees. The sword fell over into the ash, free.  
Kai didn't feel free.  
He thought releasing all of his anger would help, but he felt even heavier. He felt a hand on his shoulder.  
"Come on, you need medical attention," Sensei said. "You've made me proud."

Thankfully, Kai's eye would most likely heal and all that would remain would be scars.  
Unfortunately, Kai couldn't stop thinking about Samukai's death.  
Kai's father used to tell him bedtime stories about how he fought snakes and rode dragons with Kai's mother and such. Kai had stopped believing they were true a long time ago, but his father always put little lessons into the stories. One of the more common ones was to give others a second chance. In the stories, Kai's father never killed.  
Thinking about the stories made Kai want to hear his father's voice again. He wanted things to be like old again. He wished they had never died.

Wu had been captured and dragged inside the temple. Kai made sure he wasn't there. He wasn't sure what Wu would do if he saw him. Instead, Kai waited in front of the entrance the ninja would most likely come through.  
He wasn't sure what would happen when they faced each other, but he did know he was fighting for the right side.

Kai wasn't expecting them to come in on dragons, especially considering Cole was afraid of them. They burst through the tunnel at an alarming speed, skidding to a stop at the edge of the rock. Kai barely managed to dive out of the way.  
Cole hopped off his dragon and backed away from it. "We made it! Solid ground!"  
"It isn't as solid as it looks," Kai said.  
The three ninja looked at Kai. There was stunned silence for a moment.  
Cole was the first to speak up. "Kai? Is that you?"  
"What, you don't recognize me?"  
"What happened to your face?" Jay blurted.  
Kai looked Jay up and down and noticed a simple metal cylinder with a hook at the end where his right arm used to be. "I could ask you the same thing about your arm."  
Jay pointed accusingly at the dragon Cole had flown in on. "It was him! But we're good friends now, and I'm building an electricity-controlled cybernetic arm so I can be an awesome cyborg but boy did it hurt when the dragon ripped my arm off you should have been there-"  
"Jay! We have more important things to discuss," Cole snapped. "Kai, what are you doing down here? Where did you get the sword of fire?"  
Zane seemed to stare into Kai's soul. "I sense that Kai has grown darker since he ran away."  
Frustration rose in Kai's throat. "Ok, first of all, I didn't run away, I went to go save my sister instead of running around collecting stupid artifacts because Wu told me to, second of all, I'm not darker, whatever that means. But I am stronger."  
Cole laughed. "Really? You look sick, like you haven't seen the sun in months."  
Kai walked up to Cole until they were face to face. "I just killed Samukai in a one-on-one duel."  
Cole's eyes widened, and he leaned away a bit.  
"Killing is not the ninja way," Zane said.  
"I'm not a ninja!" Kai snapped. "That's a childish dream that Wu put into your heads along with all his lies and secrets. Lord Garmadon is my Sensei now."  
"Woah woah, wait, you're a bad guy now?" Jay asked.  
"No! Wu is the bad guy. Did he tell you it's his fault Garmadon is evil? Did he tell you he took a little kid as a student and filled his head with dreams of being some chosen one until he got spoiled and ran off to do something dangerous and got himself killed? Did he tell you he sent his nephew to Darkly's boarding school for bad boys because he thought the kid was going to be just like his father anyways?"  
Once again, there was silence. Then Cole crossed his arms and leaned forward. "So what? Garmadon has done a ton of bad stuff too. If we have to fight you, we will. It's three to one."  
Kai laughed and shook his head. "You'll need better odds than that when we do. But first, I need you to do something."  
"Give us one good reason why we should listen to anything else you say," Cole growled.  
Kai pointed towards Nya's cell. "Nya is up there. She won't let me save her, but if you go up there she'll go with you. She deserves to be free." He turned to the temple. "Wu is down there. Sensei Garmadon and I will be waiting for you."  
Jay scampered towards the cell. "I'm going to save a girl! I'm going to save a girl and she's going to love me!"  
Cole glared at Kai a second longer, shook his head slowly, and went after Kai. Zane followed.  
Kai took a deep breath and went to the temple. Everything was going to plan so far.

Wu was tied up with rope and gagged next to Garmadon's throne. The second he saw Kai, his eyes grew stern, but he didn't say anything.  
Sensei Garmadon was leaned over him, mouth open like Kai had interrupted him mid-conversation. He straightened up and folded his arms behind his back. "Kai, where are the golden weapons?"  
"I sent them to get Nya first. Then they can come and fight here where you can both see."  
Lord Garmadon frowned. "I wish you has told me of this plan, but we'll make it work."  
Kai bowed. "Thank you, Sensei."  
Kai heard Jay and Cole bickering in the distance, their voices growing steadily louder. Kai unsheathed his sword of fire and turned to face the entrance.  
Garmadon laughed. "Those are your students, brother? They aren't very stealthy ninja, if you ask me."  
Wu didn't try to reply.  
The doors creaked open, and the three ninja leapt in. Nya stood in the doorway and caught Kai's eye for a moment, but then glared and looked away.  
The ninja fanned out to flank Kai, and Cole ended up on his blind side. Kai grinned. The fight could actually end up being a bit of a challenge.  
"Don't worry Sensei, we'll save you!" Jay called.  
Garmadon walked up beside Kai. "No, you are here to die." He unsheathed two swords with a grin.  
Kai gritted his teeth as he remembered Samukai crumbling to pieces at his will. Kai wasn't an evil person, nobody on his side was. Why did killing make Kai question that?  
Everyone but Kai prepared to charge.  
"Wait!" Kai jumped in front of Garmadon. "Surrender your weapons now, and nobody has to get hurt."  
Cole laughed. "Not going to happen, Red."  
"Kai, what are you doing?" Garmadon asked, a threatening and impatient hint in his voice.  
"Sensei, let me show you that killing isn't the answer. I'll fight them on my own to prove it."  
Garmadon tipped his head to one side, thoughtful.  
Kai looked at Nya, who was watching him out of the corner of her eyes. "Nobody dies. Not on my watch."  
Garmadon backed up to stand next to Wu. "I'm curious to see how this goes."  
Kai took a deep breath and gripped his sword a little tighter. He could do this.  
Jay and Cole rushed towards him at the same time. He braced himself until the last second, then sprung into the air, sending the two tumbling into eachother.  
Kai landed, and realized he had put Zane in his blind spot. Kai spun around to see him and saw two shurikens flying towards him. He dove to the ground and felt the blade slice through his hair.  
Kai got to his feet and grinned. Zane had left himself weaponless. Zane took a cautious step back when he realized it, and Kai dashed towards him. He raised his sword for a finishing blow when he heard a ringing sound behind him. He glanced back and saw the shurikens miraculously coming towards him again. He spun to the side and Zane caught them.  
Kai gaped. "Hey! That's not even fai-"  
Kai felt a strong punch to his stomach from his blind side and collapsed, the breath knocked out of him.  
"It was pretty obvious from the start this fight wasn't fair," Cole said, standing above him. He swung his scythe down.  
Kai rolled to the side and felt the ground crack right where he had just been. Cole raised his scythe for another try, but Kai spun his legs around and knocked Cole onto the floor, dropping his scythe in the fall. Kai quickly kicked it before Cole could grab it again, and it skittered across the floor until it hit the wall.  
Jay leapt forward to cover Cole while he ran back to get his scythe. He swung the nunchucks of lightning around with his one good arm. "Time for round two, hot head!"  
Kai focused and shifted his feet a little, then gave his sword a little flick. A ball of fire flew towards Jay and ignited his clothes.  
While Jay screamed and Zane ran to help him, Kai dashed towards Cole, who was stooping down to grab the scythe.  
Kai used the momentum of his run to leap up and kick Cole in the chest. The recoil knocked Cole's head against the wall with a sound that made Kai cringe, and he crumpled in a heap onto the floor.  
Kai's heart leapt into his throat. He meant to prevent Cole from grabbing the scythe, but not to knock him out- or worse.  
Kai dropped to his knees and checked Cole's pulse and breathing. He was still alive, but knocked out cold.  
As Kai got to his feet, he heard Jay laugh behind him. "Take this!" He yelled.  
Kai heard a high-pitched ring, but before he could do anything he felt a shock strike him in the back. He screamed and collapsed to the floor as searing pain arced across his whole body, and through the ringing in his ears he could hear Garmadon screaming his name.

Kai might have blacked out for a few seconds, but he wasn't sure. The first thing he registered was the sound of metal clanging against metal right in front of him, echoing dully inside his skull. He opened his eyes to see Garmadon fending off Zane and Jay with his two swords. There were moments where Zane and Jay were completely open and Garmadon could easily strike them through, but he was focused on defending Kai.  
Jay started swinging his nunchucks around, and another high pitched whine rang in Kai's ear. Garmadon seemed completely oblivious.  
Kai tried to warn him, but his throat was dry and weak. He tried to get up, but his body felt like lead. Kai caught a glint out of the corner of his eye and realized it was the scythe, still lying next to Cole. Kai remembered the surge of energy he felt every time he held a golden weapon and reached forward to grab it, rehandling his sword at the same time with his other hand.  
The second his hands closed around the handles of both weapons, he felt a burst of strength stronger than anything he'd ever experienced, and a warm feeling spread through his limbs. He sprang to his feet to protect Garmadon, intending to swipe at the front of Jay's suit to break him away. But as Kai leapt forward to protect Garmadon, Zane leapt forward to protect Jay.  
The scythe lodged in the left side of his chest with a strange, dull thud. Kai gasped and yanked the weapon out, and Zane collapsed into Jay's arm.  
Zanes's chest was a layer of torn metal, with cut wires and dislodged gears underneath. Zane cringed in pain and avoided looking at it. "I-I don't understand..."  
"Kai, drop one of the weapons, now!" Garmadon snapped. "Even I can barely handle wielding two at once!"  
"I-I can't!" Kai gasped. He wished he could, but his hands refused to comply. The warm feeling he had felt before had grown to a feverish burn and was steadily rising. A wave of dizziness made him fall to his knee, and the tip of the scythe tapped the ground. Kai didn't wish it, but the gentle touch still caused the temple to shake violently. Lord Garmadon grabbed the scythe and struggled to tear it from Kai's grip, while the whole underworld began to rumble. "No no no, Kai, stay with me! You have to let go!"  
Kai screamed. The heat had grown to a burning, consuming horror that made it impossible to think about anything besides wanting to tear himself apart until he never existed.  
The ceiling began to crack above them. Kai managed to draw together his last ounce of strength, got to his feet, and shoved Lord Garmadon out of the way.  
The earthly sky above Kai crumbled and he desperately shielded his head.

Kai's mind cleared as the burning faded away. The weapons had been knocked out of his hands by the falling chunks of ceiling. Everything was dark and still shaking, and a huge weight bore down on him painfully that made it hard to breath. He had been completely buried by debris.  
The rocks in front of him started to move, and soon Kai could see a crack of light.  
Nya sounded like she was about to cry. "Oh no, Kai, please be ok!"  
Kai could only manage a cough in reply. The digging around him quickened. Soon he could see Garmadon and Nya next to each other, moving rocks. Wu was behind them, still tied up and struggling to get loose. Jay was trying to get Zane to stand up, but he refused to respond. Instead he stared down at his chest in silent shock. Cole was still in a lump on the floor. The ground continued to shake. He could hear screaming and crashing outside the temple. The place wasn't going to hold together much longer. Every moment they spent digging him out was a huge risk.  
Kai managed to breath so he could talk. "Guys, stop. You have to get out of here."  
Nya began to dig faster. "No! I can't leave you here. I can't be left alone. I treated you horribly, I-I can't-" Nya bit her lip and started to shake.  
Kai could feel himself starting to fade. Between the battles with Samukai and the ninja, being shocked by lightning, the strain of holding two golden weapons at once, and being crushed by tons of rock, it was a miracle he had survived that long.  
Kai never sounded so serious. "Nya... I'm not going to make it."  
Nya stopped digging, looked Kai in the eye, and shook her head.  
Kai rarely argued with Nya, due to her stubbornness and determination to always win. But this time the stakes were too high, and he cared about her too much to give up. "You have to get everyone else out of here before it's too late. Help Wu and Zane."  
Nya opened her mouth to argue back, but then her eyes softened and she bit her lip. "Ok. I'm sorry."  
Kai managed to put on a smile for her. "I'm sorry too. You're the best sister anyone could have, and... I know... you'll be strong enough... alone." Kai's head began to swim, but he forced himself to stay alive. He needed to make sure everyone was safe first.  
Nya took a deep breath left, untied Wu's binds, and helped Jay pick up Zane. The four of them slowly made it to the entrance and started up the stairs.

Lord Garmadon acted as if he didn't hear a word Kai said, but Kai knew he had from the look of worry and determination in his furrowed brow. His undigging was hasty and panicked.  
Kai managed to gather enough energy to speak again. "Sensei-"  
"No!" Lord Garmadon snapped. He stopped digging, but avoided looking at Kai. "I've lost so much. My wife, my son, my brother's trust. Whenever something good comes into my life it rots away, but maybe if I fight back harder..." Lord Garmadon strained to pick up a larger rock on top of Kai's leg, and the release of pressure made him scream in pain despite the lack of oxygen to do so.  
Garmadon set it back down, breathing hard. "I've never been strong enough to do anything right."  
"Cole," Kai choked out.  
Lord Garmadon turned to look at Cole, who was still silently slumped on the ground. When Garmadon turned back, his eyes were squeezed shut. "You're the best student I could have asked for, and an inspiration. Though evil runs through my veins, I'm going to start fighting back again." He opened his eyes, which didn't seem to be glowing as much as before. But maybe it was just Kai's vision, which was starting to blur. Garmadon gave a small but painful smile and looked him in the eye. "Thank you. Maybe someday I'll be as selfless a hero as you."

The last thing Kai saw was Lord Garmadon scooping Cole up in his arms. Then a warm feeling filled Kai's chest, a good, comforting kind of warm, and his pain melted away.

A couple minutes later, four dragons landed solemnly at the blacksmith shop. If they had stayed a moment longer, the wouldn't have made it out of the underworld. Soon Cole was waking up, Jay was helping Zane repair himself, Garmadon and Nya were comforting each other, and Wu silently held a twisted blade of iron, deep in thought.

On that day nobody died, except the true hero from the other side.


	4. Lullaby

Lloyd knew ninja were supposed to be stealthy, but creaky doors didn't let him. It was as he tiptoed through the lobby that he bumped into Jay.

"Are you leaving again?" Jay asked. He blocked the outside exit, and Lloyd wouldn't be able to outrun him, even if he tried.

Lloyd looked down at Jay, which still weirded him out. He took a moment to choose his words carefully, so they didn't come out sounding childish. "Yes, I am. How did you know I was up?"

Jay shrugged with a grin. "Sensitive hearing. It's a blessing. And a curse. But come on, it feels like you just got back, and tomorrow is the first day of school! Don't you want to support us?"

Actually, the school opening was one of the hundreds of reasons Lloyd wanted to go on another meditation trip. So many kids, being so childish. It made Lloyd jealous, and it made him want to break down and act natural, but he couldn't. Not since the stupid tea made him look older and the ninja had assumed he was older on the inside as well. The others saw him as a leader they could look up to for wisdom and strength, but the act was tiring and got old fast, so he would go on trips to unwind and act his age.

Lloyd gripped the backpack on his shoulder. "I'll just distract the kids with how awesome I am. I'm sure you'll handle it great."

Jay put on some puppy eyes. "Please? You were like, half of our advertising hooks."

Lloyd pressed both hands to his forehead as a migraine crashed into him. He thought about pushing Jay over to escape, but refused, and the pain continued to spike.

Jay's voice pierced through the darkness. "Hey, are you ok?"

Lloyd felt a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly batted it away. "Get out of my way or I'll make you!"

Jay put both hands up in surrender and backed away. "Woah, ok. I'm sorry."

The headache faded as fast as it had come, and was replaced by a happy, satisfied feeling and a rush of adrenaline that encouraged Lloyd to carry through with his threat even though Jay was already out of the way. He tried to push it down as he ran out of the building. The second he was outside, he summoned his golden dragon and took off.

Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he screamed in frustration.

Another thing Lloyd didn't dare tell the others: He inherited the effects of the Great Devourer's venom from his father.

When Lloyd's body was young, the effects couldn't be noticed. It slowly became stronger, but Lloyd was evil for most of that time, so it never mattered. Once the tomorrow's tea made him grow, the power spiked. Thankfully, with the stone army, his father, and the Overlord causing trouble, he'd barely had time to stop and think. But now the Overlord was defeated, and everything was ok. Except for Lloyd. It was stupid.

The only one who knew about Lloyd's problem was his dad. He knew what the venom did, and noticed very quickly. It was so scary. Lloyd didn't want anybody else to know about it.

Lloyd flew to Ninjago City. The first thing he noticed on the skyline was the skeleton of a huge tower being built over where the Overlord's fortress used to be. The unfinished building reminded Lloyd of his treehouse. Lloyd wanted to rebuild that, but he didn't have an army of snakes to help him.

Lloyd landed a good distance away from the city. Whenever he landed in the city a huge crowd would form and he would be stuck in the middle shaking hands and talking to the press for hours. It was awful.

Lloyd unzipped his backpack and pulled out a black hoodie. Until a couple months ago, a smaller version of it was the only thing he wore. He still felt more comfortable and at home in it, like he was still his small self, and it was also to hide his gi. The gold made him too noticeable.

He zipped up the hoodie and pulled the hood around his face, then walked towards the city. The buildings got taller and closer together, and soon he was in the heart of Ninjago.

On his way, Lloyd passed five kids playing keep away with a ball, one of Lloyd's favorite games that he hadn't played in forever. He forgot about his act and ran towards them. "Oh! Oh! Hey, can I play?"

All the kids froze and looked at Lloyd. Lloyd noticed they looked scared.

Finally, one spoke up. "My mommy told me not to talk to strangers." The others nodded in agreement, and then they all ran off.

Lloyd groaned. If he made it obvious he was the golden ninja, they would have begged to play with him. But the golden ninja wasn't what Lloyd wanted to be, and deep down he had never been.

Lloyd walked into Mother Doomsday's shop with his head down.

"Say, what's with that sour mood, kid?" Mother Doomsday asked from his counter across the room.

Lloyd went up to the counter and threw his arms across it. "There's a lot going on."

Once Lloyd was kicked out of Darkley's, Mother Doomsday was the closest he had to family. He was also the only person to wonder about Lloyd's age inside, and Lloyd could never lie to him. Besides his father, Doomsday was the only one who knew how old he really felt.

Mother Doomsday reached under the counter and pulled up a bag of candy. "Things would be easier if you told people what you're going through. They can help."

Lloyd grabbed the bag eagerly. The two had this conversation almost every time, and it was starting to annoy Lloyd, which wasn't a good thing. "I can't! Everyone looks up to me, expects me to be strong. If they start worrying about me more than focusing on their jobs, everything will fall apart!"

Doomsday just gave him a strange look Lloyd couldn't describe. After a moment of that look, Doomsday got up and started walking through the aisles of comics. "I think you should check out "Chronicles of Kata Tui" next. The characters look weird, but they're still relatable."

"Sure." Lloyd followed him to the shelves and looked at the cover. He was trying to get back into comic books, but they all made him mad. After the hero won, they got what had wanted and were happy. Lloyd won, but his life had never been worse. It wasn't fair.

Doomsday handed Lloyd the first issue. As always, Lloyd pulled out some money. As always, Doomsday pushed it away. "You're a hero, Lloyd. You saved Ninjago. This is the least I can do."

Lloyd didn't feel like a hero, but he never pushed it. Helping people made Doomsday feel happier than anything else could.

After some more small talk, Doomsday told Lloyd he had to close up shop. Lloyd left, summoned his dragon, and took off towards his father's monastery.

It wasn't long after Lloyd landed that his parents came running out to meet him. Lloyd let his mother hug him, even though it was uncomfortable. She didn't seem like his mom. More like a stranger he met just months ago.

Lloyd's father hugged him next, which made him feel small and happy again for a brief moment.

Misako smiled. "What brings you back so soon, son?"

Lloyd looked down at his feet. "I need to talk with dad about something."

Misako nodded. "I see. I hope you can figure it out." She hurried out of the room with a worried glance over her shoulder. Lloyd tried to ignore it. She couldn't possibly care about him.

Dad studied Lloyd's face. "The conditions are getting worse, aren't they?"

Lloyd sighed. "I almost hurt Jay."  
"Let's go out to the balcony." Garmadon started walking, but still looked back at Lloyd while he talked. "The thing to focus on is the almost. You resisted the venom's suggestions, and you can continue to do so."

Lloyd followed his dad. "But I didn't resist it. I just yelled and threatened him instead. And he was so shocked and scared-"

"Ha! Jay, shocked. That's a good one, son."

Lloyd looked down at his feet. The pun was accidental. "I can't keep doing this. There has to be a way to get rid of it. It isn't fair!"

The two stepped out onto the balcony. The cold night somehow calmed Lloyd down.

His father put both hands on the detailed railing. "There was only one thing that helped me resist the venom in every circumstance. The venom never directly affects your will. It punishes you when you do something good or refuse to do something bad, and rewards you for doing evil, but in the end your choices are still yours. It is always possible to fight against it, although it is the hardest thing I have ever done." He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

Lloyd became aware of how hard it was for his father to talk about his past. Lloyd could understand. Just thinking about the pain made him want to curl up, and it wasn't even at full strength yet.

Garmadon continued. "The solution is love. I love you and... Misako so much I would rather endure the worse endless torment imaginable than see you two come to any harm."  
"Do you really still love Misako?"

Garmadon gave a small smile and ruffled Lloyd's hair. "I do, but time has grown a gap between us. It is natural for a widow to move on and find someone else, and I was in the underworld, never meant to return, for years. She moved on from grieving, and now she has to undo it all."  
Lloyd looked up at the stars. He couldn't even have a family. Nothing was fair. "I don't think I love anyone that much."  
"Are you sure?"

"The ninja used to be so mean to me, and now I have to be serious around them and they look up to me. We're not on equal grounds. I can't tell them anything. I don't even want to be a ninja! And Sensei Wu is so focused on being my sensei, he's never felt like an uncle. He's all riddles and secrets and training. I only met Misako a few months ago, and I haven't really forgiven her for abandoning me. Sometimes I wonder how much she actually cares about me. And you-" Pain covered Lloyd's entire body in the amount of time it would take to turn off the lights in a room. He screamed and collapsed to his knees. Tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes. It felt like his blood was boiling. He was faintly aware of his shoulders being shaken and his name being called, but it felt distant.

It was all Garmadon's fault. He was the reason Lloyd had the venom in the first place, and yet Garmadon lived peacefully while Lloyd was tortured. It wasn't fair. Garmadon needed to suffer, too. He needed to pay.

Lloyd found Garmadon's neck through the nearly blinding pain. The old man's yells stopped, replaced by a mouth opening and closing silently.

The pain left. Lloyd got to his feet as strength pulsed through him. Garmadon tried to unclamp Lloyd's hands, but Lloyd wouldn't give.

Lloyd was filled with joy, watching Garmadon suffer like he deserved. The old man was weak, but Lloyd was so much stronger. A grin n spread across his face as he watched his father's eyes roll back into his head.

Father... his father...

Lloyd somehow released his grip and stumbled back, in horror, for his father's safety, and because the pain was returning to punish him. Garmadon collapsed to the floor, gasping.

Lloyd continued to back away. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"It's ok, son," His father wheezed. "I understand. It's ok."

"No! Nothing is ok!" Lloyd screamed. He formed a ball of golden energy between his hands and managed to direct it at a tree below them. A little of the pain left as the tree crumbled, but it was still unbearable. The only way to make it disappear would be to hurt his father again. "I have to go."

"Wait, this isn't something you can run from! You need help!"

But Lloyd had already summoned his dragon and was taking off. He struggled to focus and steer though the pain screaming at him to go back and finish the old man. He made it to the top of the mountain behind the monastery, but before he could land, the dragon disappeared and he tumbled over the rocks. He could barely feel the injuries on top of everything else. He crawled into the cave his father gave him to meditate in, went to the far corner, curled up, and refused to move. Eventually the pain and tears exhausted him so much, he fell asleep.

Lloyd woke up to the sun slanting through the cave entrance and burning through his eyelids. He was still exhausted, and ached all over. A spring trickled from the entrance of the cave through a stone gutter the water had worn over time. It was just slow enough to see a reflection clearly.

He washed the makeup off his hands and face, shocked as always by how much paler he had become. He sat there and stared at his reflection for a while. He was beat up from his fall, but he had looked worse before. Besides that, he looked dead tired and depressed, just like how he was feeling. He looked into his own eyes. His father had told him that the venom was at its strongest when his eyes glowed red. Right now, Lloyd's eyes were clear, but he was scared of that changing.

Eventually Lloyd got up, put his backpack in a hole, and covered it with a rock to keep it safe. He took his candy, comic book, and dictionary and sat outside the cave in the sun. He tried not to think about last night.

First, he read the dictionary until he couldn't stand it anymore. It was covered in sticky notes marking words he heard the ninja say. Most of them were from Zane. Hopefully the research would help him feel as old as he looked. After he was sick of the big words, he read the comic book. As usual it didn't interest him. It all felt fake after everything he had gone through.

Then he did what his father had suggested, meditation. While he was alone, Lloyd had to resolve as many problems as possible. That way when he was around people he could harm he would be calmer, and the venom would have less to use against him. Unfortunately, this meant thinking about the night before.

Lloyd took a deep breath. He would never dream of hurting his father, but that's what he did, and even worse, he had enjoyed it. Lloyd would never be at peace with that, so what was the point of meditating in the first place? He wasn't even sure if he could look at his father ever again. He felt like hiding in his cave for forever, where he couldn't hurt anyone. It wasn't like he cared about them and wanted to spend time with them anyways. He had been forced to.

More pain poured over him and he screamed. The venom didn't like the idea of hiding. It wanted him to go out and destroy.

Lloyd took one step outside, then stopped. He had to see if he could fight off the venom, to give him a bit of hope.

Lloyd slowly backed away from the cave mouth, every step bringing pain until he could barely stand. Then he realized that as long as he stayed in that cave, the pain would increase, even if he stayed forever. He released a beam of golden energy at the cave wall in frustration. Scorch marks screeched up the wall. The destruction was enough to turn the pain to thrill. He continued to aim wildly or not at all, yelling and screaming out his anger. He didn't want it to stop.

Lloyd's ringtone startled him into stopping. The pain slammed back into him and he fell to his hands and knees. He gritted his teeth and crawled over to the hole that held his backpack. The rock covering it was completely scorched and smoking. He removed it and was relieved to see the bag was safe. He took a deep breath, unsuccessfully tried to push back the pain, and answered the phone. "What is it?"

Cole's voice came through. "Woah, are you ok? You sound hurt."

Lloyd pressed his free hand to his screaming head. "I'm fine! Just spit it out, what do you want?"

Cole was silent for a moment. "Some people were protesting the construction of Borg Tower, but it turned into a riot. They've set up explosives to topple the structure, but it's so huge, if it comes down it could cause a lot of damage. The police are trying to calm it down but they've called for backup."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Well, we're busy at school. These kids are out of control! But-"

"Fine! I'll go!" Lloyd hung up. He smashed the phone against the floor and took advantage of the painless moment to run outside and summon his dragon.

The pain was back sooner than he had hoped. He barely managed to make it to Ninjago City. As he flew low around the construction site, cheering started below. The noise broke the little concentration Lloyd had, and he dropped roughly to the ground on his hands and knees.

The cheering stopped, and he became aware of every person staring at him. The rioters, the police, the passerby. He wasn't wearing any makeup, and he still had his black hoodie on over his gi. Everyone saw an inhumanly pale, beaten, exhausted, obviously pained teenager in black.

Lloyd shot to his feet and backed away, pushing back tears from the pain and shame. "Stop- stop looking at me like that!"

A few people near the front switched to studying the ground, but Lloyd could still feel thousands of eyes haunting him and confirming one of his many fears. People were scared of him.

"I said stop!" Lloyd yelled. He started to build up a ball of golden energy. The crowd began to scream and scatter. Lloyd aimed his hands at one of the rioters.

A shadow passed over Lloyd's head. The ultradragon landed, carrying his father, Sensei Wu, Kai, Jay, Zane, and Cole.

Lloyd's father climbed down the second it was safe, and started running towards Lloyd. "Son! You're stronger than this!"

Lloyd looked down at the orb floating between his hands. Just thinking about calling it off made him stagger. Actually doing it would hurt too much, but he didn't want to hurt anybody. Without really thinking, he turned around and released the attack into Borg Tower.

There was a boom so loud Lloyd felt the sound more than heard it. A wall of heat and flame threw him back. All he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears as the construction site crumbled. It seemed to be in slow motion. As story upon story collapsed, debris and dust billowed out and began a domino effect with nearby buildings. The bombs the rioters had set up must have gone off.

Lloyd laid there and watched the sickeningly satisfying scene. Soon he could hear screaming and sirens. He slowly got to his feet, in awe of how much destruction there was. He had done all of this to the great city. He felt powerful, but also horrible.

Lloyd watched the ninja run towards him, then stop several feet away. They stared at him, and Lloyd stared back, until Jay spoke up. "What happened? You look terrible!"

That ticked Lloyd off. He angled a beam of energy towards Jay, but everyone jumped out of the way in time.

Despite the now rough terrain, Cole rolled right back to his feet. "Can someone tell me what the heck is going on?"

Lloyd's father helped Jay to his feet, then glanced for a moment at Lloyd. "He inherited the effects of the Great Devourer's venom, and it is influencing him to do evil."

Wu walked up to the others. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I wasn't aware of how strong the venom was."

Lloyd gritted his teeth. "You're talking like I'm not even here!" He put his hands out to form another beam, but Zane flicked his wrist, and a wall of ice sprouted up between Lloyd and the others. Lloyd turned to go around it, only to find he was completely enclosed in a frozen box. The ice crackled as it slowly grew thicker.

Kai's voice was muffled. "Zane, what are you doing?"

Zane kept his eyes fixed on Lloyd. "He's being affected by the venom. We must treat him as we did Garmadon when he was the same."

"But he isn't just another Garmadon," Kai snapped. "He's our leader and our friend!"

Lloyd's reflection in the ice caught his attention. A thin layer of dirt from the explosion covered him from head to toe, and his eyes glowed bright red. He looked terrifying. First he tried to back away from his reflection, but his back bumped against more ice. In every direction he looked, a monster stared back.

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut as his heart plunged to his shoes. If he could fight the venom previously, it was pointless now. The venom was at full strength, and would be for the rest of his life. He was tired of being in so much pain all the time. He wanted it to stop. Why did everyone expect him to fight it back? He wasn't strong. He was just a little kid. It wasn't fair.

Lloyd slowly opened his eyes, but avoided looking at the ninja and himself. Fighting against himself would give him nothing but torture forever. He couldn't be happy like that, and would never win. If he gave in, all of it would stop. He would be doing bad things, but it would be easier to get used to than the pain. There was a time where he enjoyed being evil before. No matter how he looked at it, quitting seemed like the only way to ever be happy.

Zane was still arguing. "Kai, would you please use logic for once in your life?"

"Would you care about something for once?" Kai snapped.

Zane faltered, making it obvious Kai's jab hurt a lot. The ice around Lloyd stopped growing.

It was the perfect moment to take advantage of. Lloyd formed an energy orb in his hands, then expanded it to his size. Ice shards shot out in every direction. Before anyone else could react, Lloyd aimed a laser beam at Zane. The impact sent the white ninja flying though a partially collapsed building behind him. The unsound structure collapsed further with a billow of dust.

The ninja stared at the building in shock, then Cole started running towards it. "I'll go help Zane!" He called over his shoulder. "You two try to calm Lloyd down!"

Kai and Jay turned to face Lloyd. He finally wasn't hurting anymore. It was such a relief, he found himself laughing. At first it scared him, but he pushed that away and focused on the strength the venom rewarded him with.

Jay's voice shook. "Uh, Kai? I think I missed the punchline."

Kai placed a reassuring hand on Jay's shoulder, then stepped forward. "Lloyd, snap out of it! We're your friends."

"No you aren't!" Lloyd snapped, his laughing cut short. "The only time when everything was ok was when I was on my own. Before that, everyone at Darkley's picked on me. After that, you ninja dragged me into your mess, and I got old, and I had to fight my own dad, and be your leader with all of this responsibility..." Lloyd clenched his fists and tried to stop shaking. He was already starting to hurt again. "I'm done with taking care of other people! I've let myself be tortured for months just so you guys can goof around like you always do! But not anymore. I'm going to start taking care of myself, just like I did before I found those stupid snakes!" Lloyd shot a beam of energy at Kai and Jay, but they rolled behind a huge rock where Garmadon and Wu were hiding.

"Holy monologue!" Jay gasped. "That is definitely the same venom Garmadon had."

"This is bad," Garmadon muttered.

Kai frowned. "That was already pretty obvious,"

"This is no time for attitude, Kai! Yours has done enough damage already," Garmadon snapped.

Kai lowered his head.

Sensei Garmadon sighed, then continued. "Lloyd has hit rock bottom. He has given up of fighting the venom and fully embraces it. Instead of punishing him with overwhelming pain that could slow him down, he's being rewarded with energy."

Sensei Wu nodded. "When Garmadon reached that point, the only thing I could do to stop him was banishing him to the underworld."

"How the heck do we do that?" Jay asked.

"You are not sending my son to the underworld!" Garmadon roared.

Jay threw his hands in the air. "Oh ok then, I guess we'll die!"

"That's a great idea," Lloyd said from on top of the rock they were hiding behind. Now he had a height advantage, and there was nowhere they could run in time to avoid a blast. They tried anyway, and it was entertaining to watch them scramble around as he charged up a beam.

Lloyd noticed Cole next to him out of the corner of his eye, but it was too late.

Cole screamed in anger and swung both arms into Lloyd's chest, who went flying off the rock. He tumbled across the ground, out of breath and head roaring. He could barely even register his father trying to help him to his feet. Cole's super strength was nothing to mess with.

"What were you thinking?" Sensei Garmadon yelled.

Cole stomped towards Lloyd. He was shaking, and once he got closer Lloyd could see tears in his eyes. "You- you killed Zane! I pulled him out of the wreck but he was too damaged and now he's gone!"

The news brought Lloyd back to full consciousness again, and he was able to stand on his own. Kai and Jay stared at him in complete shock, but Lloyd tried to ignore it. He pushed down the feeling of guilt and focused on the energy flowing through him, replacing the pain. This was a good thing. It had to be. Zane was a removed burden from his life. "Good riddance!" He managed to say. "It's Kai's fault he faltered anyways. If the jerk hadn't hurt his feelings, he would have seen my attack coming!"

"How dare you!" Kai lit his fists on fire and charged.

Lloyd's father stepped in front of him, which forced Kai to stop. Garmadon put his hands on Kai's shoulders. "You need to help him, not fight him. Please don't let him turn into me!"

Lloyd kicked his father onto the ground. "Stop fighting my battle for me like I'm some baby! I am the ultimate spinjitzu master! I can do anything, and I don't need anyone."

Garmadon stared up at Lloyd with fear in his eyes that silenced his voice.

With Garmadon out of the way, there was nothing holding Kai back. He reignited his fists and went for Lloyd's jaw. Lloyd simply stepped out of the way. The venom was giving him so much clarity. Everything felt right somehow, even the things that shouldn't.

Cole ran up to help Kai flank Lloyd, while Jay shot lightning from long distance. Their years of fighting together was showing. Lloyd had never seen them so angry before. They weren't doing the usual friendly training spar. This time, it was actually a challenge for Lloyd. Between the three of them, he could barely defend himself, let alone counter strike. He needed an advantage.

Lloyd looked behind him. The broken Borg Tower had collapsed into a strange, spikey pyramid of ruin. It looked even more dangerous than that treehouse he had built. The terrain inside would break the ninja apart, and it had places to hide. Lloyd wasn't sure if it was him being smart, or the venom. He launched into the air and summoned his golden dragon. The ninja tossed elements at him, but he was able to hear them all coming and swerve.

He landed carefully on top of the rubble, then dropped down in. Inside, light beamed though in triangles and slivers, He wandered through the metal web for a while, until he came across two huge beams sticking into the air because they were leaning on each other at the perfect angle. It was a miracle they had fallen against each other like that, and that it hadn't collapsed yet. He could tell the tiniest nudge could make them fall. It was a perfect trap. He hid himself and waited for the ninja to come along. He wondered for a second if he should stop and ask for forgiveness, if he could ever be strong enough to fight against the venom. But just the thought made him feel like a huge nail was being hammered between his eyes. It was sad how weak he was, but he couldn't live with that pain anymore.

Jay's voice sounded up ahead. "I'm not sure if we can take him, guys. We couldn't even beat him in training when we had Zane!"

"We don't have to defeat him," Cole said, "Just knock him out. After that, we can put him in some vengestone and try to figure out what to do."

"So let me get this straight," Jay said, "He's still our friend and we do want to help him?"

"Of course we are!" Kai snapped.

Jay stepped into view. He was walking right under the trap beams. "Woah, woah, that's what I thought to. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. Calm down, hot rod."

Lloyd had always considered his life to be the worst luck possible. Yet here he was, his prey just happening to walk right where he needed them to. Before he had been trying to be good, and now he was doing what he wanted and everything was ok.

Kai and Cole followed Jay under the trap. Lloyd shot a beam of energy at the three, barely even charged to give them as little time to react as possible. Cole and Kai still somehow managed to dodge it, but Jay, who was closer, had no hope. He screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor as the golden light passed through him. The shot continued like Jay didn't exist and hit the metal beam behind it, knocking the structure out of its cautious balance. Jay was unresponsive as the trap came crashing down.

"No!" Cole put up his arms and braced himself to hold it up. The impact and weight sent him to his knees. It looked like he was just barely strong enough to lift it. "J-jay!" His voice was strained. "You have to move!" His arms started to shake.

Jay might have shivered, but it was such a small movement, Lloyd could have imagined it.

Kai yelled in rage and launched himself at Lloyd. Lloyd stepped aside and let the ninja barrel past. Kai got so sloppy when he was emotional. It was actually slightly entertaining. Kai turned around and ran at Lloyd a second time. Lloyd ducked, but instead of running past like before, Kai stayed close and swung again. Lloyd barely managed to avoid it, and they went back to the pattern of Kai on offense and Lloyd so busy on defense he couldn't strike back.

"This can't be you!" Kai yelled while he slashed. "You would never do stuff like this! It must be mind control, or possession, or- or something!"

Lloyd wished Kai could be right, but he wasn't. This was all Lloyd's doing, with his own free will.

Kai got a lucky strike in and sliced his sword across Lloyd's left arm. Lloyd recoiled out of habit, but then realized it didn't hurt much compared to what he had gone through before. The combat was getting boring, though. He watched Kai's sloppy pattern for a moment, then grabbed the hilt of his sword, twisted it out of his hands, and drove it into his chest.

Kai gasped and fell to his knees. Lloyd turned around and shot a beam at Cole, who screamed and lost his battle with the beam. Lloyd couldn't watch as the metal came down, but he heard Cole's screams cut short. Jay, for once, was also silent.

"No," Kai groaned, his breathing small.

Lloyd turned to look at him. "If it's any consolation, this is the best I've ever felt in my life. Thanks for helping."  
"I don't believe you," Kai said through clenched teeth. "You aren't a monster. Killing them must hurt you, and you won't be able to live with yourself."

Lloyd shrugged. Kai was right, killing people did make him feel awful. But those feeling were much easier to bury and live with than the venom's punishments. Lloyd pulled out the sword to open the wound, so Kai would die faster. Then he turned around to leave the ruins.

As Lloyd stepped out of the tower ruins, something roared across the sky. He looked up to see Nya's Samurai X mech beginning to land. It touched down a couple feet away from him, blowing up dust as it slowed its descent.

"I don't want to hurt you, Lloyd!" Nya called from the safety of her mech.  
Lloyd laughed. "Oh really? Guess whose blood is on this sword?"

Nya was silent, but the mech raised its own huge sword in preparation to fight.

"Let's just say his suit is definitely a deeper shade of red than before. Oh yeah, The other three are dead, too."

"Stand down!" Nya yelled. Her voice was shaking, although Lloyd couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger. Either worked.

"Naw. Now get out of that mech and fight me like a girl!" Lloyd fired a beam at the mech. Nya flipped out of it just in time as the contraption burst into flame and fell apart. She pulled out her own normal sized sword and ran at Lloyd, although her armor slowed her down considerably. Lloyd held up his own sword to block and the two swords rang as they met.

"I can't believe you've given up like this!" Nya screamed. Lloyd wished he could see her face through her mask, so he could see her suffer.

Nya wouldn't back off, even though everyone else had failed trying to fight him."Your father was the worst guy in Ninjago, but now look at him! Things can change, and in a good way, kid. In fact, you were the one who cleansed him! You probably could have fixed yourself a long time ago!"

Lloyd dropped his sword in shock. Undefended, Nya drove her sword right through him. She gasped, panicked, and pulled her sword back out as she backed away. "No! Why didn't you defend? I didn't want to hurt you!"

Lloyd curled into a ball and closed his eyes. At least the wound didn't hurt much. The clarity of the venom was gone. Everything was fading. How could he have been so dumb...

Nya continued to back away. Wu walked up to her. "Nya-"

Nya spun to look at him. "No! Nothing you could say can make this better!" She wiped her eyes and walked down the destroyed street slowly, head low and blood-stained sword trailing in the dirt.

Garmadon rushed over to his limp son and clutched him tight to his chest, tears streaming down his face. In a shaky voice, he started to sing an old lullaby for his little boy.


End file.
